WipEout 2048 review – gravity drive

Sony’s sci-fi racer is back and centre stage, as one of the most high profile launch titles for the PlayStation Vita, but does it deserve pole position?

WipEout 2048 (PSV) – the future of motorsports

Ask any British, and we suspect European, gamer about the WipEout series and they’re likely to respond enthusiastically about one of the most iconic PlayStation brands ever produced, and one of the titles that sold the PSone in terms of not just its technical ability but also its dance culture credibility.

In terms of volume the franchise has actually sold more in America, but never seems to have had anything like the impact, which is no doubt why there hasn’t been a proper home console retail release since 2002.

The two PSP games, Pure and Pulse, were both excellent though and so too was PlayStation 3 download WipEout HD (which was eventually released on disc). WipEout still has a strong association as a launch title then, as well as a game that has thrived on the outer edges of the PlayStation Empire, but WipEout 2048 will hopefully see it return to real prominence.

The concept behind WipEout is not a complex one. Inspired by Nintendo’s F-Zero, the games are futuristic racers where you race anti-gravity vehicles around roller coaster like tracks. WipEout 2048 dials the clock back to the very beginnings of the fictional sport, so that rather than dealing with predominately abstract track designs you can see something that looks identifiably like a near future New York poking through the background.

Most tracks are tiered vertically, so that racing on the bottom level almost looks like a contemporary racer – if it weren’t for all the neon and lack of wheels. On the top level though things get genuinely sci-fi, which seems a relatively happy compromise between those that enjoyed the old visual style and those that were put off by it.

Of course it also allows for lots of interesting new tactics, as learning all the shortcuts and alternative routes begins to feel more like Mario Kart (another acknowledged inspiration) than ever before. This appears to be purposeful as the tracks are also wider than usual.

The wider tracks largely avoid the problem of pinging like a pinball from each side of the track to the other – a common complaint from previous games, by those who couldn’t get used to the handling mechanics straight away. But it also seems to be to encourage the more tactical use of weapons, so you’re not just firing and forgetting at whoever happens to be directly in front of you.

With power-ups now split between offensive and defensive types, and a new emphasis on using a rechargeable shield, there’s a clear attempt to refocus the game on battling and racing opponents rather than just the track. That’s a pretty major rethink for the series, but it works well and without compromising the series’ heritage.

If you’re desperate for all the hairpin turns of the original the tracks are filled with enough alternate routes to satisfy you, and if you take them well enough they can even give you an advantage. Even if other less practised players (virtual or otherwise) take the easy road.

Like most of the PS Vita launch titles the game tries to make as much use of all the different new inputs as possible, but the good news is that if you want to stay with analogue sticks and buttons you can do. Either with the original controls, that use left and right air brakes, or a newer simplified default set-up.

But if you’re feeling adventurous you can use the touchscreen for firing weapons, the rear touchpad to accelerate, and motion controls to steer. We stuck to the analogue sticks for movement but the other options are more genuinely useful than most of the similar gimmicks in other games.

This alone makes the game a great showpiece for the console but the graphics are also amongst the Vita’s best. The more realistic style makes a direct comparison with WipEout HD difficult, but the final effect is at least as good and the track design expert enough to show off the vertiginous tracks to their best. It’s not 60 frames per second though, and even if there’s no slowdown expert players will notice the difference. The more complex backdrops can also be visually distracting, even when you think you know the tracks back-to-front.

Surprisingly though the biggest disappointment about WipEout 2048 is the multiplayer, despite having its own separate campaign. It’s all nicely varied, with in-race challenges (such as taking out a rival racer) that will reward you no matter where you place. But because it’s a pre-set campaign you have no control over the set-up in terms of track, speed class, event type or even weapons load-out.

The Ad Hoc wireless multiplayer is just the same and though it’s obviously been designed that way to be user friendly and stop elitist players lording over less experienced players, it feels very restrictive.

The CrossPlay feature that allows you to play against both other Vita owners and those on the PlayStation 3 is a great idea though and will hopefully help the portable through the difficult first few months, when the small userbase means there’s very few people online.

How much of a problem this is depends to a degree on how you intend to play the game, but the single-player campaign isn’t that long and the only other thing to do is play Zone races and Combat (aka Eliminator). In the end then we’d still classify WipEout HD/Fury as the better game, but this is still an excellent racer and one that dares to vary the series’ formula to interesting effect.

In Short:A great showcase for the PS Vita and at times as good as WipEout has ever been, despite a few questionable options and graphical issues.

Pros:Excellent handling and controls that find a good compromise between the demands of old and new players. Great presentation and excellent track design.

Cons:Multiplayer options are restrictive, even though the campaign mode seems a good idea. Single-player is a little short and graphics can be distracting. Not 60fps.Score:7/10